One of the clauses in the paper involves Al Jazeera hiring an economist from the greater Middle East to speak about why Qatar is an ideal nation to move to because of its strong resources. They also hope to create a project to tell stories and traditions from Qatar to ensure its history is portrayed in the best light possible.

All after the government threatened to fire the Board of Directors and hold them hostage.

The editorial opinion of the Moscow Times is that when dictatorships begin threatening the well-being of journalists, the journalists’ lives take precedence over adherence to the truth. Al Jazeera has implemented some workarounds to ensure journalistic integrity, such as company-wide surveys to identify points of reform in stories, such as impartiality and bias. However, these workarounds are anonymous and could easily be manipulated by the Qatari government. Furthermore, describing investment opportunities in Qatar may enrich the government to further suppress the views of journalists.

In another working paper, titled “We Address Takeover Evacuation” (We ATE), Al Jazeera has laid out plans to leave the country in case the government attempts to falsely imprison or harm the journalists. However, the Moscow Times believes that this must be the action taken if Qatar’s money continues to suppress the voice of journalists. Censorship naturally degrades reporting; the Balkans Director even questioned, “have we defined journalistic standards for hiring?” If Al Jazeera hopes to maintain serious coverage and be considered a voice of the Arab World, it must have the courage to leave Qatar and establish its own independence as a network.

 “We had high hopes for the nascent network, and were determined to share many opinions,” said the Minister of Technology. “But by the recent callousness of reporting, we will have no choice but to hold Al Jazeera journalists hostage.”

Al Jazeera’s journalists believe that the Qatari government’s anger is veiled criticism of the network’s opinions. “We embrace journalism and journalistic ethics,” said the Mubasher Director. “So when the government threatens us, it means they’re imposing their opinions over the truth we report.”

Other Al Jazeera Board of Directors members addressed a need to appease the Qatari government.

“We need the funding from the government,” said the Balkans Director. “It’s not ideal, but we may have to appease the Qatari government in order to survive.”

However, the Balkans Director clarified that he does not want to take orders directly from Qatar. “We still need to focus on internal efforts, and report on issues where we’re independent, but still reporting on issues Qatar wants us to report on,” he said.

However, Al Jazeera’s journalists have affirmed that their top priority is currently maintaining journalistic integrity, and hope to report even if they are held hostage or are evicted from Qatar. “The government may seize our property at any time,” said the Mubasher Director. “So we need to make sure we can safely be evacuated.”

The Mubasher Director pleaded for international support to help the journalists against the Qatari government, whose Energy Minister recently advocated a “forgive and forget” attitude towards Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The world needs to know where Qatar is putting their resources,” the Mubasher Director said.

The Arabic Director expanded on this. “We need international aid to make sure we can wean off government support and maintain our independence,” he said.

Human Rights Director Sami Alhaj spearheaded these plans. Having been imprisoned for six years at Guantanamo Bay without receiving a trial, on charges that were eventually dropped, Alhaj has condemned the actions of American media and troops.

“Journalists are kept unaware and the troops are encouraged to continue abuses,” Alhaj said. “We need to cover what the Western world tries to hide.” 

To Alhaj and the Board of Directors, this task will not come easy. Al Jazeera Mubasher director Ayman Gaballah expressed concerns of alienating Qatar and other Middle Eastern nations, the primary benefactors of the agency.

“If we report on what Qatar doesn’t want, we defeat the purpose of our editorial attitude,” Gaballah said.

Initially, Al Jazeera planned to collaborate on reporting with the New York Times and NBC, before concerns grew over the backlash from working with Western competitors. But to Alhaj, what matters is spreading the truth.

“I want to bring a perspective of the Arab world into mass media instead of using the West’s historically dominant narratives,” he explained. He further explained that he wants to bring a human component to the hard statistics that have grappled the Arab world while benefiting the West.

“Emotions matter. The thousands unjustly imprisoned matter,” Alhaj said.

Still, others on the Board of Directors hope to maintain their strong support within the Arab World while expanding their reach to the West. Al Jazeera’s Arabic Director Ahmad Alyafei explained that “we need to keep in mind how we’re perceived in Arab countries.”

Outcry over potential involvement comes in the aftermath of the killing of Mahsa Amini, which
has sparked mass protests in Iran and around the globe in favor of women’s rights. At least 34
journalists in Iran have been imprisoned since the protests began, according to press freedom
watchdog group Reporters Sans Frontières (RSF), also known as Reporters Without Borders. Among them include several Al Jazeera-affiliated journalists per RSF as well.

However, pro-Amini protests have been suppressed in Qatar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
An Iranian woman named Yasi, who asked to have her surname withheld to protect her
anonymity, explained that “some free media had visas to come to Qatar but at the last minute it
was canceled,” through the UK’s INews. Furthermore, Iranian supporters wearing shirts
supporting Amini have reportedly been forced to leave stadiums and have had their shirts
confiscated by Qatari police.

These protest suppressions have come in the wake of deepening ties between Qatar and Iran. In
the wake of mounting sanctions against Iran, the Qatari government pledged to continue
supplying Iran, while Al Jazeera Arabic-language stations have continued to broadcast pro-Iran
and anti-Western messages. Still, the network has steadfastly maintained its independence. “We
maintain our commitment towards what is true and evident,” said Gaballah.